"I just want to find someone in time," James said. "I think there must be quite a few lonely people around and I am on my own, so it would make sense I think if someone came here for Christmas lunch. I just had smoked salmon and prawns on my own last year and I had to put up with it. This time of year is so hard if you are old and alone because it feels like everybody else around you is enjoying themselves."

What a difference a day makes: Just 24 hours after his story was published in the Post, James received a deluge of responses from potential Christmas companions.

"It is so touching to me, after all these years alone, to see this response from people," he was quoted as saying. "I'm so appreciative of the offers. I should have done this years ago."